英语听力—环球英语 905 Ending Landmines in Cambodia

　　Voice 1
Welcome to Spotlight¹, I'm Liz Waid.
Voice 2
And I'm Joshua Leo. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
Voice 3
"My only goal in life is to make my country safe for my people."
Voice 1
These words were spoken by a man named Aki Ra. Aki Ra lives in Cambodia. He has been working hard for many years to solve a big problem in his country. He works² to clean up land mines. Today's Spotlight is on Aki Ra's story.
Voice 2
When Aki Ra was a young boy, he fought in a war. He was a child soldier for the Khmer Rouge³. The Khmer Rouge was a group that took power in Cambodia promising⁴ peace. Instead they made life much more difficult. They killed many people. The Khmer Rouge killed Aki Ra's parents. He was only five years old. He stayed in his village, under Khmer Rouge control. When he was ten, they forced him to fight. They taught him to lay mines, fire guns and make bombs.
Voice 1
This was a terrible time in Aki Ra's life. The Khmer Rouge did not permit⁵ him to go to school. They taught him to be afraid of many things. They used fear to force many children to fight. Aki Ra had to learn to use a gun that was as big as he was. He remembers many other soldiers laughing at him while he tried to shoot. He was too young to do such terrible things. But he did not have a choice.
Voice 2
Aki Ra fought for the Khmer Rouge until he was fourteen. At that time, the Vietnamese army defeated the Khmer Rouge in Aki's village. They told Aki Ra he had to fight in their army instead. He fought with them for three more years. Then he was forced to join the Cambodian army. Finally, when Aki Ra was twenty, the fighting stopped. But, Aki Ra had been a soldier for his whole life. He had been forced into three different armies. He had seen and done many terrible things.
Voice 1
Aki Ra is an adult now. He is no longer a soldier. But he can never forget his past. But he wanted to make up for his past by doing good things for Cambodia. When the fighting stopped, Aki joined the United⁶ Nations peace-keeping forces. They were asking the Cambodian people to help clear landmines⁷. That is, they were removing the landmines from the ground, so that the mines cannot hurt people.
Voice 2
During the years of fighting, soldiers laid millions of land mines. These small bombs are buried in the earth. They explode when a person steps on them or drives over them. Landmines killed and injured⁸ many people during the fighting. But they still kill and injure many people today. There are millions of landmines all over Cambodia. Sometimes farmers hit them when they are clearing land. Sometimes children take them to see what they are. It is still a very large problem.
Voice 1
Aki did many things for the United Nations peace-keepers. He went to school. He helped clear landmines. He showed victims⁹ of the mines how to care for their injuries. He was happy to live a good life with no fighting. But the United Nations could not stay forever. They left Cambodia and Aki was on his own again. But he knew what he needed to do. He wanted to continue clearing mines in Cambodia. He decided¹⁰ to do it for a job. However, there was a problem. When the United Nations peace-keepers left, they took the special tools he needed. So Aki Ra had to make his own tools. Often he just used his hands!
Voice 2
He also started a small museum in his house. Here, he shows people things he finds - the mines and other weapons from the fighting. On his website, Aki explains why the museum is important:
Voice 3
"We live every day with landmines and unexploded bombs. I hope that my museum will help to explain this to people. For us in Cambodia, the war is not over. We still need help to fix this huge problem. I feel that the world does not really know how big this problem is."
Voice 1
Aki is married and has a son. His son's name is Amatak. It is the Khmer word for "forever." Aki also takes care of ten other children. Their parents died because of landmines. He sends his children to school. He also helps many other children from his village go to school. He believes that education is very important. Aki was not able to go to school when he was a child soldier. He wants these children to have a better life. On his website, Aki says,
Voice 3
"We must all do what we can to teach our children. We must make Cambodia a safe country again. This way, Amatak and all children can really live forever."
Voice 2
Over the years, many people have come to see Aki and his museum. Groups from all over the world have come to help him clear landmines.
Voice 1
But, not everyone is happy with what Aki Ra is doing. There are many organizations that work in Cambodia to clear mines. They say Aki is not being safe. He does not have enough training. He does not have the right tools. They want Aki Ra to get training and work with them. Aki did agree to get training. But he wants to work alone. The larger organizations do not always go to the smaller villages and farms. Aki wants to help everyone. Often, people call him and ask him to help with mines on their land. He puts his own life in danger to help others.
Voice 2
Aki talked to a newspaper, the Christian¹¹ Science Monitor, about his story. He says he still has bad dreams about his past. He is still afraid of some loud noises that remind him of his life as a child soldier. But he is hopeful¹². He wants his work to help him forget. He told the newspaper,
Voice 3
"When I am finished with land mines in Cambodia, I think I will forget about all the bad things, the war, the landmines. I will farm."
 

1 spotlight   

n.公众注意的中心，聚光灯，探照灯，视听，注意，醒目

参考例句：

• This week the spotlight is on the world of fashion.本周引人瞩目的是时装界。
• The spotlight followed her round the stage.聚光灯的光圈随着她在舞台上转。

2 works   

n.作品，著作；工厂，活动部件，机件

参考例句：

• We expect writers to produce more and better works.我们期望作家们写出更多更好的作品。
• The novel is regarded as one of the classic works.这篇小说被公认为是最优秀的作品之一。

3 rouge   

n.胭脂，口红唇膏；v.(在…上)擦口红

参考例句：

• Women put rouge on their cheeks to make their faces pretty.女人往面颊上涂胭脂，使脸更漂亮。
• She didn't need any powder or lip rouge to make her pretty.她天生漂亮，不需要任何脂粉唇膏打扮自己。

4 promising   

adj.有希望的，有前途的

参考例句：

• The results of the experiments are very promising.实验的结果充满了希望。
• We're trying to bring along one or two promising young swimmers.我们正设法培养出一两名有前途的年轻游泳选手。

5 permit   

n.许可证，许可，执照；vt.允许，容许；vi.容许

参考例句：

• The doctor will not permit mother up until her leg is better.在母亲的腿好些之前,医生不允许她起床。
• The soldiers had orders to permit no stranger through.士兵们接到命令不许任何陌生人通过。

6 united   

adj.和谐的；团结的；联合的，统一的

参考例句：

• The whole nation is closely united.全国人民紧密团结。
• The two men were united by community of interests.共同的利益使两个人结合在一起。

7 landmines   

潜在的冲突； 地雷，投伞水雷( landmine的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The treaty bans the use production and trade of landmines. 该条约规定，禁止使用地雷相关产品及贸易。
• One of the weapon's of special concern was landmines. 在引起人们特别关注的武器中就有地雷。

8 injured   

adj.受伤的

参考例句：

• Our best defender is injured and won't be able to play today.我们最佳的防守员受伤了，今天不能参加比赛。
• The injured men have been dug out of the snow.受伤人员从雪中被挖了出来。

9 victims   

n.牺牲者( victim的名词复数 )；牺牲品；受骗者；为祭祀杀死的动物（或人）

参考例句：

• Many charities sent money to help the victims of the famine. 许多慈善机构捐款赈济饥民。
• victims of child abuse 受虐待的儿童

10 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

11 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

12 hopeful   

adj.有希望的，怀抱希望的，保持乐观的；n.有希望之人，有前途之人

参考例句：

• This is a hopeful news.这是个鼓舞人心的消息。
• We are hopeful about the future.我们对未来抱乐观态度。